Million Dollar Cowboy (Cupid, Texas #5)(29)

"Fine." Zeke folded, tossing his cards on the table. "Fold, pardners."

Duke narrowed his eyes, looked across the table at Ridge. "You got a pair of Jacks?"

The hairs on the back of Ridge's neck lifted. How had the old man guessed?



       
         
       
        

"'Bout as likely as you do," he said mildly.

"You never could bluff for shit." Duke's eyes challenged him as he tossed more chips on the table. "All right. I raise you a hundred bucks."

Ridge shrugged. "And I raise you five hundred."

Archer threw his cards in the middle of the table. "Too rich for my blood."

"Me too." Ned tossed his in as well, followed by Armand, Herb, and Kip. Leaving only Ridge, Ranger, and Duke still playing.

"All in." Duke pushed his entire stack to the middle of the table between splayed hands.

"All in." Ridge held his father's hard-edged stare and tossed his remaining chips on top of his father's.

"Looks like all the Lockharts are all in." Ranger laughed, and added his chips to the pile.

"Whatcha got?" Duke demanded of Ridge.

"You first."

"I'm not bluffing." Duke clenched his jaw.

"Neither am I."

They stared each other down.

"You are both ridiculously stubborn," Ranger muttered. "Two of a kind."

"We are not!" Ridge and his father snapped in unison.

"All right, here's the plan," Ranger mediated. "We all turn them over on the count of three. One . . . two . . . three."

"Three Jacks." Ridge flipped his cards over.

"Ha!" Duke chortled. "Three Queens. I win." He reached for the pot.

"Not so fast." Ranger laid out his cards one by one. "I've got four twos. Read 'em and weep, fellas."

"Burn!" Kip guffawed.

"Sonofabitch!" Cursing, Duke flung his cards across the room.

"Don't mess with the master," Ranger clasped his hands over his head in victory. "When will you ever learn?"

"Congratulations," Ridge said, getting up to stretch, his eyes on his father.

Duke's face was flushed, and a blood vessel at his temple throbbed wildly. He went to the refreshment table for another Jell-O shooter.

Ridge followed him. "Don't you think you've had enough?"

"Butt out." Duke swallowed the contents of a condom Jell-O shooter filled with grape vodka. "This is a bachelor party."

"Yeah, so don't ruin it."

Duke laughed a dark laugh. "Oh that's rich. You telling me what to do. The prodigal son returns and expects to be met with open arms."

"I have no such expectations from you." Ridge struggled to keep his voice and anger low. Duke was drunk. This wasn't the time or place to mine a fight with his old man, even though the blowup had been brewing for years. 

"Sure you do. You swagger in here with your fancy airplane and your patented drilling method expecting everyone to fall at your feet. Thinking you're better than us. Thinking you're better than me."

"Wait just a minute." Ridge put a palm. "You sleep with my girlfriend in my house, and I'm the shitheel?"

"You still holding on to that?" Duke glowered. "Vivi picked me over you. She wanted a real man. Deal with it."

Ridge bit down on his tongue to keep from saying all the dark ugly things he'd kept tamped down for a decade. Vile things that seethed and twisted. Grisly things that wanted to explode all over his father and burn him with hot foul spew.

"Party's over for you, old man. I'm taking you home."

"The hell you say." Duke's eyes burned like lava, his words slurred, his knees wobbly. That last Jell-O shot sent him over the edge into full-on hammered. He raised his fists. "Put up your dukes. The time has come to have this out. Man-to-man."

"I'm not swatting a gnat with a bazooka."

"You calling me a gnat?" Duke pummeled the air like he was boxing a speed bag.

"You're acting like one. Annoying as hell."

"Coward." Duke took a swing at him.

Ridge ducked. "I'm not hitting a drunk old man."

"I'll show you old man." Duke threw a left jab.

Ridge, who hadn't had a drop of alcohol, easily sidestepped it. "And you wonder why I haven't been home in ten years."

The rest of the men had gathered to watch, ringing them as if they were at a boxing match. No one intervened.

"I'm not fighting you," Ridge reiterated.

"Pussy." Duke came at him with a barrage of punches.

Ridge waltzed out of reach. "Don't make me do this."